Page 40 of Dance with Death

The childish blue dress.

The cap sleeves that puff out in a juvenile way.

He’s dressing me up to look like a goddamn child.

A doll.

The words that I said to him my first night here, before he left me to sleep with a dead body, bounce from dark corner to dark corner in my mind.

You’re sick.

You’re sick.

You’re sick.

His eyes watch me in the mirror as I take in my reflection.

Can he hear how loudly my mind screams those words at him?

You’re sick!

He’s proud to have me think of him as a sick bastard. It’s written all over his face with an arrogant smirk. He turns and walks to an ornate dresser on the other side of the room, near the door.

I swivel on my seat to look out at the space, taking in my surroundings with a rapidly beating heart. There’s a king-sized bed to my right, neatly made with a comforter that looks more like a golden weaved tapestry. A short, tufted bench sits at the foot of the bed, resting on top of the massive, Oriental-style rug that’s plush beneath my bare feet. Everything in the room is shades of gold and tan, an otherwise expected looking bedroom in a mansion of this size.

Vigo comes back to me carrying a pair of white socks. “Put these on.”

I reluctantly take the socks from him, holding his gaze with my wary eyes.

“You know I’ve wanted you for years, Anya.”

The statement freezes me, but I don’t respond. I just bend and slip one sock on over my toes, rolling it up over my calf until it stops just below the knee.

He groans and I gag.

“When Nikolai let me use you as payment for my information about who killed his family, I knew I had to have you in my collection. Such a beautiful little doll.La mia bambola Russa.I’ve fantasized about you since that night.”

I slip on the second sock and slowly lift, sitting up straight with a bowed head.

“Stop being such a good little girl,” he snaps.

What?

“You’re not a good little girl at all, are you?”

“I don’t—”

“Don’t talk back to me.”

“I’m not—”

“Get up.”

I stand, my forehead wrinkling in confusion. I don’t understand the game he’s playing.

What are the rules?

How do I follow them?

---